Accidents continue to plague Route 1
A Rehoboth woman has joined the list of people severely injured or killed navigating Route 1 traffic. Still listed in critical condition, the woman is the seventh person since June involved in a fatal or near-fatal crash on the Cape Region’s primary traffic artery.
Two accidents have now occurred near the Munchy Branch Road intersection; one took place at the Old Landing Road intersection; and yet another occurred at the Route 24 intersection.
It’s clear these intersections are dangerous, yet from Rehoboth Beach to Five Points, pedestrians and cyclists have few clearly marked, signaled and safe ways to get across eight lanes of traffic. Even in October, when summer tourism should be on the wane, traffic on the Cape Region’s busiest highway remains heavy well into the evening hours.
Both sides of the roadway offer hundreds of outlet stores; there’s a Walmart on one side and a Kmart on the other. The highway also cuts between the area’s grocery and convenience stores, and a growing number of restaurants, many of them serving alcohol, can be found on both sides of the artery.
With so many choices on both sides, pedestrians and cyclists are going to attempt to cross Route 1. At the same time, with so many possible destinations, many drivers along this stretch are increasingly distracted; many can be seen talking or checking their locations on cellphones.
This mix of pedestrians, cyclists and distracted drivers on a busy roadway will lead to more deaths.
Yet, DelDOT ‘s plans for improvements to Cape Region roadways offer nothing to make any of these Route 1 intersections safer. Calls for an overpass have fallen on deaf ears for decades.
Route 1 is our Main Street, the gateway to our beaches, towns and state parks. How many times can officials turn their heads and pretend that they just don’t see these highway deaths?
And just how many deaths will it take before DelDOT knows that too many people have died? The answer might be blowing in the wind, but is anyone at DelDOT listening?
